BOSS GTPRO

[3shiftgtr]

Hey Magic Farmer,

Yeah I got one, and I'm not thrilled, but I do use it. I got it to go in my live rack as an efx unit and a backup for the valve stuff. Well, it kinda sux as a pre. A good tube power amp and cab will reveal its subtle yet present digital yucky-ness. The pre amp tones are o.k.; not at all above average. But the efx are cool, clean, powerful, useful and flexible. Lots of routing options, but not the ones I needed, oddly enough.

 

But it shines as a direct recording device. I use it in my studio and run it direct through tube mic pre's, and it smokes all of my plug in's and my old POD Pro. The GTPro just seems to sit well in the tracks. It doesn't really emulate tones as well as other modeling stuff out there, but that's why I like it. I always write my own patches anyway. But it goes without saying that nothing beats some killer mics in front of a a killer tone coming out of a speaker. Nothing in the modeling world does that. But the GTPro is definitely above average in a direct recording application.

 

I got it at wholesale cost (around $525) and it turned out to be worth it. It is a powerful piece with lots of useful stuff in it, as well as lots of freak-out tweak stuff. But don't look to it as a live rig pre if you are particular (read anal) about your tone.

 

If you are going to use it for it's stomp box capability, get the GT-8. Cheaper and has the same stomp boxes and parameters as the Pro. The Pro gives you more routing, more amp modeling choices, a little more tweakability for reverbs & delays ans such, and 2 simultaneous pre's.

 

In comparison, you'll be hard pressed to find a box in this price range that is this powerful.

 

As a side note, the unit has two seperate pre amps that can be used in each stereo channel. I tried the ol' Van Halen 2 amp trick: one amp in the right, and one in the left, with one of them detuned (modulated) a cent or two. When I bent a string, I was met with that awful, digital tracking glush in the background. Yeech! I was pissed! Why put it in there, if you aren't going to do it right? That capability was one of the main reasons I bought it. Like I said earlier, not thrilled.

 

But alas, Boss/Roland is a damn good company, and I have had no problems with it, or any other Boss/Roland products I've owned for that matter. I've had it for about a year and a half and use it a lot in the studio. GOOD LUCK!

[mynameistaken]

I have a GT8 and it is very useful for practice, live and recording. Its good to pretty good at everything. The weakness is the preamps, they are ok at best and could never replace a tube amp. But they are so versatile in other ways it more than makes up for it as long as you have a good amp. I would imagine the GT pro is a lot better since it costs more but i would look at the GT8 first.

[eddie.perez]

I think Boss will come up with a new version of the Gt-8, GT-pro with pre-amp 12ax7 tubes this year or the next. I'm just saying because I heard rumors of that.

[3shiftgtr]

I think Boss will come up with a new version of the Gt-8, GT-pro with pre-amp 12ax7 tubes this year or the next. I'm just saying because I heard rumors of that.

 

That would be awesome if they put LOTS OF VOLTAGE TO THE PLATES! So many manufacturers stick a tube in a path and sell it as "pure tube tone" when there are virtually no plate volts being sent to the tubes. That voltage is where you get TONE AND FEEL. If they do it right,I'd absolutely love it! Buy it with a quickness, I would.

 

Where did you hear this rumor? At a NAMM show or something?

[eddie.perez]

That would be awesome if they put LOTS OF VOLTAGE TO THE PLATES! So many manufacturers stick a tube in a path and sell it as "pure tube tone" when there are virtually no plate volts being sent to the tubes. That voltage is where you get TONE AND FEEL. If they do it right,I'd absolutely love it! Buy it with a quickness, I would. Where did you hear this rumor? At a NAMM show or something?

 

 

yeah I have friends that promote thier business at the namm shows. Thier the ones that told me about this rumor. Thier actually going to be at the namm show this week, and thier going to ask the guys at the Boss booth if the rumor is true. I'm shure Boss will come up with something like this pretty soon to give the TC electronics, Pod's and tonelab le processors some real competition.

[eddie.perez]

I've been touring/gigging/recording with my G-Major for years. It never froze, and the knobs are just fine. Take good care of your gear, and it'll be just fine

 

I've seen alot of G majors with broken knobs and push buttons. I don't think they could hang when you tend to use them alot, and plus what does the G-major have that the Gt-pro doesn't.

[jlw001]

I use a GT-8 as both a midi controller and FX. I use the 4 cable method so that I bypass the GT8's preamp, and substitute my amp's preamps. Its incredibly versatile. THe modulation and other time based effects are high quality. Even the OD/Dist models (booster, Mshl Guvnor, RAT, etc) are usable if you run them in front of your tube amp's preamp. I use the booster as a solo boost on many of my patches. The booster seems to be very nice and doesn't change the tone much at all. It just adds a couple dbs and some sustain to make your solos really punch. Be careful about running any of the OD/Dist at the ragged edge (100% on the gain) because they tend to lose their value in the maximum range.